The apple of his eye

OPENING in cinemas today, The Kid from Big Apple 2: Before We Forget will definitely make the audience shed a tear or two.
Hong Kong actor Tommy Tam, better known as Ti Lung, returns as the grandfather in this sequel to the award-winning film, to give another moving performance as a man who is slowly losing his memories of everyone he loves, including his favourite granddaughter.
The film, by award-winning director Jess Teong, also sees Malaysian rising stars Sarah Tan and Jason Tan reprising their roles as the granddaughter and her friend, as well as two new faces – Malaysian actress Debbie Goh and Hong Kong rising star Shaun Tam.
Shaun, 37, who plays a man who regrets abandoning his pregnant girlfriend, is in fact Ti Lung's son.
Ti Lung, 71, was in Kuala Lumpur recently together with his wife of 42 years, former beauty queen and actress Tao Man Ming, as well as Shaun for the gala premiere of the film.
At an earlier press conference, the veteran actor states: "It is a challenge to play someone [suffering from dementia that] you have never played before.
"I have to learn to walk slowly. I have to learn to talk slowly, too."
The moment the actor received the script for the sequel, he asked his doctor for the symptoms for dementia. Then he used what his doctor told him to get under the skin of his character.
When asked what motivated a well-known Hong Kong actor like him to accept a role in a Malaysian-made production, Ti Lung explains: "In my career, most of the time, I have always played strong, driven characters – either as an emperor, a gangster or a soldier.
"In this movie, my character is just the opposite. He's suffering from dementia and his condition is deteriorating."
While the film deals with issues of ageing, Ti Lung, despite his age, looks fit and his mind is still sharp. "Only my joints are painful," he says, pointing to his legs.
"Nobody can escape ageing," he adds. "But to maintain your health, you must not smoke or drink and you must be less aggressive. You need to [appreciate] what you have in your life."
Ti Lung started his acting career in 1969 at the age of 22, playing a minor role in the Hong Kong film, Return of the One-Armed Swordsman.
Recognising his talent, the film's director Chang Cheh did not waste any time in giving Ti Lung the lead role in his next production, Dead End.
That film eventually led to more roles in such well-known films as The Blood Brothers, The Duel, The Sentimental Swordsman and A Better Tomorrow.
However, Ti Lung attributes the biggest achievement in his life as being able to give a proper education to his only son.
"I came from a poor family," says Ti Lung. "I had to work [from the age of] 12. I started working as a delivery boy. I would deliver newspapers, milk and groceries. I could only attend night school.
"I know knowledge is important in life. That's why I was determined my son will not suffer the same fate as me."
Shaun went on to obtain a degree in advertising from a Canadian university.
But in the end, he decided to follow in his father's footsteps and became an actor.
Ti Lung says: "Initially, I was not happy with my son's decision to be an actor. You have to work long hours and you cannot see your wife and your children very much. You will miss them.
"I did not want my son to go through what I had gone through. I wanted a better life for him. But now, I have accepted his decision."
Ti Lung admits that in the early years, he and his son went through some conflicts where they rarely spoke to each other.
Over time, they have reconciled and their relationship has since improved.
"I understand now that I cannot force him to live the life I want him to live," says Ti Lung. "I have to let him do what makes him happy."
To Shaun, his father is the perfect role model who always puts his family first.
He recalls how when he was in his teens, he used to get beaten up in school because his classmates thought beating up a 'gangster's son' would be cool.
"Immediately, my father stopped taking on gangster roles," Shaun says. "He did not want me to be traumatised any more."
But when it comes to his craft, Shaun says his father puts his whole heart into it. "He will memorise his dialogue and never come to the set late."
Since becoming a father himself to a two-year-old daughter and a two-month-old son, Shaun says it makes him appreciate his father even more.
"My father is a warm-hearted man," he says. "He is not good at communicating his feelings. But his grandchildren always bring out the best smiles from him."
As for The Kid from Big Apple 2: Before We Forget, Shaun says he loves the film because it emphasises on "traditional family values and people connecting with people".